Ace Combat: The Blackest Rose
by blacknight04
Summary: I decided to take to two countries of Clavis and Verusa south of Yuktobania and create a story with those. There will be action in the story and it will also focus on the lives of the pilots, their thoughts towards war and what it is that is happening.
1. Chapter 1: The Unthinkable

_Ace Combat: The Blackest Rose_

"_It takes two sides to make war. It only takes one side to make a massacre."_

**Chapter 1: The Unthinkable**

_**July 12, 2018**_

_**Ethantis, Clavis**_

_**0400 hrs.**_

Most of the people in Ethantis were sleeping peacefully in their beds, none of them knew what was about to happen. A single stealth F-22 was flying over the city at 10,000 feet above sea level. It was unarmed except for a single bomb under the middle of the jet. The bomb was a prototype developed by Verusan scientists. The bomb was supposed to be able to level an entire city but wouldn't harm the environment with chemicals or radiation, this was the first time the bomb was going to be used.

"_I am approaching the target area, ETA one minute."_ The pilots voice sounded over the radio to the scientists who were observing the history making event. _"All systems are green, preparing to drop the bomb."_ The pilot reached over and flipped a switch on the launch pad made specially for the bomb. He then placed his hand on a button behind the switch. _"Releasing the bomb now." _He pressed the button and the bomb was released. He then turned the F-22 and opened the throttle all the way and the jet sped away from the city.

Down below the air raid sirens started to blare. As the F-22 sped off it was picked up on radar. They also picked up the bomb on radar as it fell to the ground. Emergency personal did all they could to try and get people to a safe area but it didn't matter. The bomb hit ground at 4:06 A.M. and the city was completely gone by 4:07 A.M.

_**Amia, Clavis**_

_**0410 hrs.**_

The president had declared a state of emergency. All over the country fighters were at sorties being informed of the new threat. In the cities closest to Ethantis hundreds of planes were on a search destroy mission trying to find the plane that carried the bomb.

There was only one person who was calmly walking through the presidential building. In the middle of the chaos no one noticed nor cared why she was there, what she was doing, where she was going, or who she was.

_**0420 hrs.**_

The secret service rushed to the president as it was protocol during state of emergency. Four heavily armed men, two at the door of the presidents office, two at his side, all ready to die for him.

The calm women saw the guards outside the presidents door, she had anticipated this. She reached into her pocket and found a small detonator and pressed the button causing an explosion in the room right beside the presidents office. The two men at the door looked to see what happened and one quickly rushed into the room. The women knew this was the best shot she had at getting to the president so she pulled out a knife and threw it hitting the guard that was left in the back of his head. She rushed forward and grabbed the M-16 the man had and shot the second man in the head as he came out of the room that she blew up. This caused a massive panic, people were running every where, secret service members were trying to get to the president, the two that where with him led him to an escape rout in the room. One took the president down the hidden hallway while they other covered the entrance incase anyone was following them.

The women of course dropped the gun and tried to blend in with the panicked crowd. She climbed out of a nearby window and dropped to the ground that was 15 feet below her. She rolled as she hit the ground and continued with her mission. She saw a helicopter waiting for the president as well as twenty secret service members. She pulled out her Glock 40 and hid behind a tree. She didn't have to wait long for the president to come out in the open which was good because she was about to be spotted. She jumped out from behind the tree, aimed and fired. Her bullet hit the president in the head but she didn't live long enough to see it happen as all of the secret service members had opened fire. Over 600 bullets ripped through the women's body as every secret service member emptied a clip in her.

_**0437 hrs.**_

President declared dead, assassinated, Vice President was appointed as the president, search efforts for the F-22 that dropped the bomb on Ethantis ended and search and rescue efforts began in the ruins of Ethantis.


	2. Chapter 2: War?

**Chapter 2: War?**

_**July 14, 2018**_

_**Britasa Air Base, Clavis**_

_**0600 hrs.**_

"_It has been two days since Ethantis was bombed and there were still no leads on who did it. The general public has calmed down a bit, they are still fearful of an attack like the one at Ethantis--" _Aden flipped off the radio and sat up in his bed. Aden was forty-six and ready to retire. He was six-foot-seven and weighed two-hundred and sixty-three pounds. He had green eyes and short brunette colored hair.

The sun was just starting to rise on the horizon as the alarm signaling it was time to get up blared through the base over the intercom. Aden was lucky though, he was one of the few pilots on the base who got his own room, his own shower, and a actual bed to sleep on instead of those uncomfortable bunk beds. He stood up and walked to his dresser and grabbed a clean set of clothes. He then went into his bathroom to take a shower. After a relaxing shower he got dressed, brushed his teeth and then headed for the mess hall.

"_Morning Tom." _Aden said to the cook, _"What do we have today?"_

"_Today we have a wonderful selection of stale cereal or eggs I found this morning."_

"_Eggs you _found_? I'll go with the cereal." _Aden grabbed his bowl of plain old cornflakes and cup of coffee and headed towards his usual table where one of his wing mates was already eating.

"_Morning Aden." _Theresa said. Theresa wasn't the type of person you would think of when you think flying ace. She was thirty-two years old, five-foot-six, one-hundred and eighty-seven pounds most of it muscle. She had blue eyes with and her hair was dyed a dark blue that was just a little below shoulder length.

"_Morning, I decided to try the cereal today." _He replied.

"_Wow, usually we just have a cup of coffee and the other three eat this crap."_

"_Well, I decided to be a little bit different today, not to mention I'm really hungry." _Aden put a spoonful of the cereal in his mouth and started to chew. Instead of the normal crunch people expect from cornflakes this was more like chewing a stick of gum. After about a minute of chewing Aden finally swallowed his spoonful and looked up at Theresa who was trying not to laugh at the look of disgust on Aden's face. _"I shall never eat breakfast her again." _He said and pushed the bowl away.

"_Hey Aden, are you going to finish that?" _Asked Leo, another wingman, who just walked up with a plate of eggs.

"_No, it's all yours."_

"_Yes, cereal and eggs it's my lucky day!"_ Leo sat down and started to eat. Leo was thirtey-7 years old and two-hundred twenty pounds, he was the lightest of the three guys in the squad. He pale blue eyes that sometimes looked as if they were gray. He almost shoulder-length blonde hair that would occasionally fall in his face.

"_Leo, you're a pig." _A fourth pilot walked up to the table and sat down next to Theresa. He had a cup of coffee and two slices of toast.

"_Hey, where did you get the toast Zach?" _Aden asked him.

"_My mom sent it to me from home. She sent me a box with four slices of bread, a new toothbrush and a lighter, that's how I made it into toast."_

"_Four slices of bread, a toothbrush, and a lighter?" _Aden had a puzzled look on his face. _"Is your mom crazy or was what?"_

"_She's not crazy, I asked for a toothbrush and a way to make toast, she wanted to send me a toaster but I didn't want her spending that much money on me, I'm a grown man after all." _Zach said. Zach was second oldest in the group at forty years old. He weighed in at two-hundred and thirty-nine pounds. He had a very light gray eye color that was almost white. He also had long platinum colored hair that was to about the middle of his back.

"_Well that's nice, I wish my mom would actually speak to me." _This was the fifth and final pilot of the group, Cassandra, "Cassy" or "Sandra" for short. She was the newest member to the group and was only twenty-nine years old. She was one-hundred and ninety pounds. She had dark brown eyes and long black hair.

"_Oh come on kid, cheer up. Forget about your mom she is probably a bitch anyways." _Leo was always trying to cheer Cassandra up but he wasn't that good at it.

"_Leo, have you ever once thought before words came spilling out of your mouth?" _Theresa snapped at him. Cassandra say down and they finished their breakfast in silence. Once they had finished they got up and walked to their hanger where they usually would hang out so if anything happened they were right next to their jets.

Meanwhile…

_**Ferrium Air Base, Verusa**_

_**0630 hrs.**_

There were five F-22's all outfitted to carry the type of bomb used to destroy Ethantis, the bomb is now being called "Black Rose." The five jets were all going to different military bases near the Clavis-Verusa border. The pilot that dropped the bomb on Ethantis was going to go to Britasa Air Base, the main threat to Verusa's air force.

"_Storm one you are cleared for take off."_

"_Rodger that." _The pilot opened up the throttle and shot off down the runway. He quickly climbed to 10,000 feet and went to the south west heading for Britasa at full speed.

_**Britasa Air Base, Clavis**_

_**0700 hrs.**_

Aden was tossing a baseball up in the air an catching it on it's way down to pass the time.

"_Hey Aden! Throw it here!" _Leo shouted as he ran across the hanger as if he was going after a fly ball. Aden tossed the ball about four feet in front of Leo. Leo was running for it but he slammed into Zach who was trying to get it first and they both fell to the floor, half laughing, half trying to breath.

"_Great job boys, I'm glad you don't do that in the air." _Theresa joked as she bent down to pick up the ball. _"He Sandra, think fast!" _Cassandra turned and almost caught the ball Theresa threw at her.

"_Nice aim." _She joked as she walked over to get the ball. She bent down to pick it up but stopped, _"Hey, do you guys hear that?"_

"_No, what are you a dog or something?" _Leo said as he stood up.

"_Shut up, I can hear it to, it's a faint whistling sound." _Aden said, that was when the air raid siren went off. The five of them all ran to their Su-47's and quickly climbed in. Aden got his helmet on and strapped him self in. He started up the jets engine and rolled it out of the hanger.

"_Scorpion squadron, we need you to go after the F-22, head for runway 3 and take off, I'm sure you can do it yourselves."_

"_Rodger that. You heard him guys, lets get to runway 3 as fast as possible." _Aden said over the radio. He taxied out to runway three and lined up to take off. _"This is scorpion one, call sign Flame taking off."_

"_Hurry up scorpions, the bomb is at 5,000 feet and dropping fast." _After that there was no more radio chatter that came from the tower as they tried to get everyone in to the bomb shelters. Aden opened up the throttle and the jet sped don the runway, followed by the other four. They went up into the air and sped off after the F-22 that was on radar.

Back on the ground the tower was just getting into the bomb shelter when the bomb hit. They could feel the ground shake but the bomb shelter kept them safe.

"_Did you feel that?" _Leo voice came over the radio.

"_Yeah, I can't believe that bomb shook our planes like this, it didn't look big enough to destroy a city block." _Theresa replied as she looked back at the base which was now completely leveled.

"_That's why they picked runway three, they knew it was the fast way to get away from the base. Any other runway and we would be dead right now." _This time Zach spoke. _"I hope everyone was okay but it doesn't look like that is possible."_

"_Lets focus on getting that jet for now then we can worry about they others alright." _Aden said, _"Radar last showed him heading north-east at 10,000 feet. Lets hope we can catch him."_

"_This is Storm One to the Clavis pilots. I am not the one who dropped the bomb, I am a Verusan pilot who followed the attacker."_

"_This is Scorpion One of the Clavis Air Force, you know that you had no authorization to follow the air craft into Clavian Air Space, we will escort you to the nearest air base for questioning, if you do not comply within the next minute we will engage and shoot you down."_

"_Please let me safely return to Verusa and we can forget this ever happened." _The pilot responded as Aden and the others surrounded him.

"_Hey, Flame, he is unarmed. The hatch where the F-22 carries missiles is missing it's doors and there is some type coupling system there." _This was Leo who was flying a little lower then the F-22.

"_Alright, Storm One right? You will follow us to our nearest base for questioning."_

"_Since my cover is blown as the man who bombed your base I'll let you in on a secret. At 0730 hours Verusa plans to declare war. At 0745 we will take control of the three main cities on the border and we shall meet no military resistance because we have already destroyed the five bases on the Verusa-Clavis border. So, shoot me down if you want." _Storm One then ejected from the jet and watched as they all sped away from him.

They were traveling at such high speeds no one noticed he Storm One had ejected already. Aden and Theresa both fired their 30 mm cannons and the bullets ripped through the F-22 which blew up.

"_We have to find someplace to land and inform the president of what is happening some how." _Aden turned and head south to the nearest city and the other four followed.

Was it true, were they going to be at war, did they really drop those bombs, or was Storm One just a terrorist try to trigger war between the two nations?


	3. Chapter 3: Counter Attack Part I

A/N: I noticed that the chapter layout is very similar to JohnnyFrost's _Ace Combat: The Black Ivory Tower _and I would like to say I didn't steal it. I did this type of layout to make it more like the games where they give you the date, time, and place and I did not steal it or anything like that it was just an accident.

**Chapter 3: Counter Attack Part I**

_**July 16, 2018**_

_**Amia, Clavis**_

_**0900 hrs.**_

Aden and the others safely landed in the city of Berne and quickly made their way to the capital city. Once they got to Amia they informed the president of what Storm One had said. President Truax sent military forces to try and protect the three cities, Butlar, Gainsbrow, and Blair, but the troops didn't get there fast enough and so everything Storm One had said came true.

"_I can't believe that it actually happened. All of those un suspecting people killed in those bombs. All the people in those cities had next to no military protection."_

"_I know, it is just wrong Zach but don't worry, we will reclaim those cities and avenge all of those killed by the Verusan's." _Aden said trying to stay calm. _"Pretty soon we will leave for Berne, it has been turned into our frontline base against the Verusan's, from there we will lead a counter attack against them."_

"_And do what, kill more people, what if one of the jets we bring down lands on a house, crashes into a building, falls on a busy street and kills more inset people?"_

"_We have no choice Sandra! You saw the damage those bombs did, do you honestly think that we can negotiate peace with these people? I hate it to, I have hated it since I first started flying, and I will hate it until I retire or die but there is no getting around it. This will be the fourth war I have fought in against the Verusan's and hopefully my last but in those wars I have learned one thing, Verusan's are blood thirsty monsters and it's use to stop them." _Aden sat down on one of the benches in the airport and stared at the ground. _"Sorry I yelled, it's just every time I think of what the Verusan's have done it makes me so angry and I shouldn't take it out on you."_

"_It's alright, I understand, if I fought them three times before this I would probably get mad every time I think about them two."_

"_Aden, I have question for you. How could who have four three wars against them when there have only been two others in our lifetime?" _Zach asked him.

"_You remember all of those terrorist we shot down? Those where Verusan pilots, you could tell by the way they flew."_

"_I always thought those guys where from Romny though."_

"_That's where they had set up their base but they were ex-Verusan's._

"_I guess they did fight a lot like Verusan's… I never really figured where they were from but yeah, that certainly was a war."_

"_I first figured it out when Verusa refused to fight them and they constantly attacked us and Romny but never Verusa."_

"_Flight 207 to Berne now loading at gate 7, flight 207 to Berne at gate 7."_

"_That's us." _Leo said. He got up grabbed most of the luggage and headed for gate 7. Aden and Zach took the carry on stuff and followed after Leo, Theresa and Sandra followed with out carrying any bags. Leo got all the luggage checked in and on the plane as the other four were still going through security.

"_You know I have never seen a passenger help load luggage onto the plane before." _One of the security guards said indicating towards Leo.

"_Oh, it's on his list of things to do before he's forty." _Aden said trying to keep a straight face as Leo picked up a bag with blew open and clothes fell everywhere. The four got onto the plane and after about twenty minutes Leo showed up.

"_They told me to get on the plane and stop helping."_

"_Why, it wasn't that big of a mess." _Aden said and the four of them laughed as Leo sat down and buckled up.

"_Oh shut up, it could have happened to you guys too!"_

"_Yeah, but it didn't." _Theresa said to him, _"Oh cheer up Leo, at least you didn't drop something extremely valuable and break it."_

"_Yeah, I guess your right, and it must have looked pretty funny." _Leo imagined what it must have looked like and started to laugh with the rest of them.

_**Berne, Clavis**_

_**1300 hrs.**_

Aden and the squad got off at Berne and took jeeps provided by the military to the air base, which was a section of the airport they could have walked to but the jeeps made it a lot easier then carrying all there stuff. They didn't get private rooms like they had at Britasa but they didn't have to sleep in the main barracks. Instead they had two separate rooms added on to their hanger, one for the girls the other for the guys, and they had separate beds and not bunk beds.

"_So, it will be like the good old days huh, sleep with the guys."_

"_It sounds so wrong when you say it like that Leo" _Zach said as he put his suitcase under his bed.

"_If I wake up in the middle of the night because of something stupid you did, Leo, I will kill you." _Aden said sarcastically and laughed at the confused look on Leo's face.

"_Seriously?" _Leo said very quietly and Zach burst out laughing.

"_When have you ever known me to threaten a friend?" _Aden said once he was done laughing. They continued to "unpack" which was basically put their suitcases under their beds and make the beds. After a couple of minutes there was a knock on the door, _"It's open!" _The door opened and a young soldier stepped in and saluted them.

"_Sir, colonel Johnson would like to see you sir."_

"_Okay, you can go know." _Aden answered and when the soldier closed the door Aden looked at Zack, _"You remember what happened last time we served for a Johnson?"_

"_Wasn't he they idiot who had us attack the wrong base and almost got us court-martialed?"_

"_Yeah, let's hope this guy is smarter then him."_

"_Man, I hate it, you two have all these memories and will talk about them while I stand here with a dumb look on my face."_

"_But your face always look like that." _Zach joked and then ducked a pillow Leo threw at him.

"_Alright you two, we shouldn't keep the colonel waiting." _Aden said as he grabbed a pillow out of Zach's hand. Aden led them out of the room and once into the hanger he saw that soldier standing outside the girls room, _"What are you doing?"_

"_Oh, sir! They said to wait a minute sir."_

"_Have been standing there for the past few minutes?"_

"_Yes sir, I…uh…I wasn't sure what to do." _Aden sighed and shook his head.

"_I'll get them." _Aden walked over to the girls door and knocked.

"_Just a minute!" _This was Theresa.

"_You got ten seconds to get out of here or I'm sending you two up in F-16's!" _Aden threatened and backed away from the door as it burst open and the two of them came out. _"Okay, lets go." _Aden turned and saw the soldier standing sat attention, _"Oh, at ease kid." _He said and patted him on the head as he walked past him.

Once they arrived in the colonel's office and where met by a large group of inpatient pilots.

"_What the hell took you so long!"_

"_Well sir, you see we had to walk here and we are still getting used to the base, also we just flew in about ten minutes ago and you probably didn't want us to bring our luggage in here. You see we were just trying to--"_

"_Shut up now! I don't give a damn. You ace's are all the same, you are so full of your selves you think you can do whatever you want."_

"_Ah, spot on sir, that is so true, I'm stuck-up-jack-ass one, but you can call me Aden."_

"_I don't like you attitude soldier, now you and you men can stand while the rest of us get to sit on these nice comfortable chairs during the briefing."_

"_Well ain't that just great, at least you two get to sit seeing as how you aren't men."_

"_Good point Aden." _Theresa walked to a chair and was about to sit down when the colonel stood up.

"_Don't you dare sit down, I will have you court-martialed!" _Theresa stood up straight and the colonel turned to face another man. _"This is the base commander Fredrickson, he will be the one briefing us."_

"_Thank you Johnson. Now today you guys will be leading a counter attack against the Verusan's. You will be providing air support for the ground troops as they retake Blair. When you succeed you will then fly over to Gainsbrow and help the fighters over there. If you are out of missiles after Blair you report back here, is that understood?"_

"_Uh, sir, I have one question. What if we don't succeed?" _This was one of the nuggets.

"_Trust me man, we'll succeed." _Zach said to him.

"_How do you know that, what if they drop one of those bombs on the city, then what?"_

"_Then we get the hell out of there as fast as we can." _Aden said.

"_HEY! Pull your selves together, you will fly out there and shot down any son of a bitch that gets in your way is that clear?"_

"_SIR YES SIR!" _All but Aden and them yelled out. They all left the office and the nuggets and veteran pilots ran to their hangers. Aden and the others walked to theirs and once their they changed into their flight suits.

"_That colonel was an ass." _Sandra said.

"_Yeah, let's just hope he isn't flying up there with us." _Leo said.

"_Hope who isn't flying up with you?" _They all recognized that voice and they had only known it for a few minutes.

"_Leo's evil twin." _Aden joked and Zach sniggered but managed not to laugh.

"_Was that supposed to be funny?"_

"_Apparently not." _Aden said as he climbed into his SU-47.

"_Well, I will be up there with you and watch every move you make. You may be tuck up on the ground but since you guys are supposed to be the best I'll watch you from up there." _The Colonel said as he climbed into a X-02 outside the hanger.

"_He means he's going to let us do all the work and keep his ass safe." Aden said over the radio. He rolled his SU-47 out of the hanger and waited at the marker for a runway to take off at. After a minute he got clearance and he shpt off down the runway and was soon joined by his fellow wingman and the colonel. They led the group of jets to Blair…_


	4. Chapter 3: Counter Attack Part II

A/N: They will be calling each other by their call-sign in this chapter and I will try to make it easy to figure out who's who in the story but just in case here's the list; Aden Flame, Theresa Bandit, Cassandra (Sandra) Paladin or Kid, Leo Thunder, and Zach Cyclone

**Chapter 3: Counter Attack Part II**

_**July 16, 2018**_

_**Blair, Clavis**_

_**1330 hrs.**_

"_Alright, we are now in the engagement zone, all pilots engage." _Aden said over the radio as he was leading the air assault.

"_Black Hawk one through five engaged."_

"_This is colonel Johnson call-sign Lone Wolf One engaged."_

"_Praetorian one through four engaged."_

"_Predator one through five engaged."_

"_Scorpion one through five engaged. Alright let's show those Verusan's what we're made of guys." _Aden opened up the throttle and so did the rest of Scorpion squadron and they started to pull away from the rest of the group. _"Alright, Predator squadron, you will focus on ground targets. Praetorian squadron will focus on enemy bombers to keep the ground troops safe. Lone Wolf One, you will join the Praetorian's on keep ground troops safe and Scorpion and Black Hawk squadrons, we are clearing the skies of whatever isn't friendly." _Aden watched on his radar as Predator squadron broke off and headed towards the main ground targets as the Praetorian's flew over the ground troops.

"_Scorpion one, I'm going to take out air units just like you, got it, and before you say something smart you remember you are talking to a superior officer." _Colonel Johnson said angered about what Aden assigned him.

"_You may have those pretty birds on your shoulder but that doesn't make a superior officer, do what you wish."_

"_Hey Flame, take it easy on the old man. Remember, you must respect your elders." _Theresa said.

"_Good point Bandit." _Aden said, _"Alright, now cut the chatter."_

"_Ten bogies coming in from the north." _This was AWACS Specter.

"_Roger that." _Aden sped forward to meet the enemy. He saw ten EF-2000 Typhoon's coming at them. He pushed the jet as fast as he could and it turned into a game of chicken almost. As the jets drew closer all pilots were ready to fire a missile once they had a lock and then try and evade any missiles coming at them. The very second Aden got a lock on the typhoon in front of him he fired and pulled up as hard as he could. He could see the others doing similar things to his left and right but he didn't have time to look as his missile warning siren went off. He looked around for the missile and saw it coming at him from the left. Aden broke right and barely missed running into one of the typhoon's. He then came around and turned hard left and he could just see the missile fly off. He could now focus on the enemy Typhoon's. He checked his radar and saw that three of them had already gone down. Completely ignoring the radio chatter he picked an enemy typhoon and sped after it. The typhoon was currently chasing one of the Black Hawk members in a SU-37. The Black Hawk pilot was clearly a nugget who has only been in at least 2 real battles if that. Aden got with in gun range of the typhoon and opened fire but the typhoon pilot was smart and got out of the way. Aden turned and followed him as he tried to out maneuver Aden. Aden was able to keep the typhoon in his sights but the jet was smaller then his SU-47 making it maneuver a little better. Aden then heard his missile lock siren go off and so he opened the throttle and sped towards the ground.

"_Don't worry Flame I got him." _Theresa said and Aden pulled up just as Theresa shot the typhoon's engine and it slammed into the ground of a park in the city.

"_Sorry that one got away from me for a second."_

"_Don't worry about it Flame."_

"_Five more bogies coming at you from the west." _Aden and Theresa both turned and joined Zack and two Black Hawk members going to meet the enemy jets. _"They are at 8000 feet and moving fast."_

"_Alright guys, lets climb and hit 'em from below."_

"_Sounds good Cyclone." _Aden and the other four all started to raise there altitude. _"I see them, they are right in front of us." _The five of them then pulled up a little more so they were almost going straight up. _"Alright, fire on my mark, five…….four…..three……two……MARK!" _All five of them fired a missile and then all of them broke off in their own way. Aden closed the throttle and let the jet stall out for a minute and fired it back up as he came back down. He then leveled out at 4000 feet and was glad to see that the five enemy jets had disappeared from radar.

"_Predator one here, we have crippled the airport preventing any enemy aircraft coming from the city and the ground troops our taking out the Verusan's with ease."_

"_Yeah! Let's hope it's this easy over at Gainsbrow!"_

"_Damn-it! Why did you say that? If they were scanning the radio's and picked that up they will know we are coming now and will have a defense ready by the time we get there!" _Leo yelled over the radio to the nugget.

"_I'm sorry, I didn't think of that."_

"_What you honestly think they weren't scanning for our frequency. You better be able to cover your own ass 'cause none of us veterans will do it for you now."_

"_Calm down Thunder, lets just focus on Blair for now." _Sandra said. _"Besides, we can take on whatever they throw at us."_

"_This is the ground crew, we have retaken Blair and are currently setting up defenses. Thank you for your help up there."_

"_No problem, alright guys lets continue are mission." _Aden said and the twenty air craft turned and headed west towards Gainsbrow.

"_Fifteen enemy air craft have appeared on radar coming at you at 5000 feet." _AWACS Specter said.

"_Roger that, I want Black Hawk and Praetorian to meet them with Scorpion squadron, Lone Wolf One, do whatever you want." _Aden said and the fourteen jets all started to gain altitude. Praetorian squadron was flying MiG31M Foxhound's, a good air to air jet. Aden checked his radar and saw that Colonel Johnson decided to stay with the Predator's in their F-117A Nighthawks.

"_I'll protector the bombers." _Johnson said over the radio. Aden and the others leveled off at 5000 feet and sped towards the enemy aircraft. They flew in a straight line just like the radar showed the enemy jets doing and soon Aden got a visual of the enemy. Seven of them where the EF-2000 Typhoon's like they fought earlier, then there were seven F-22 Raptors and in the middle leading them was a X-02 Wyvern.

"_I'll take the wyvern." _Aden said and everyone else acknowledged. Once they were all in missile range everyone got a lock and fired. Then there were twenty-nine jets all try to evade a missile, Zach evading two as the extra enemy chose him. Aden easily shook off the first missile as did most everyone else and he quickly spotted the wyvern. He came around and got behind it as it chased one of the Praetorian MiG's. Once the pilot noticed Aden behind him he broke away from the MiG and tried to shake off Aden. The wyvern easily out maneuvered Aden's SU-47 but Aden still managed to keep the wyvern with in view. He then heard the missile lock warning and he broke hard right losing the wyvern as he shook off the enemy jet. Aden slowed the jet down close to stalling it and the enemy jet, a F-22, sped right over him. Aden then opened up the throttle and tore off after the F-22. He caught up it as it turned to try and get behind Aden but Aden had to much experience for the enemy pilot and opened fire with his 30mm cannon. The bullets got the F-22's wing and it spun out of control as it plummeted towards the earth. Aden then heard something over the radio that got his attention…

"_The wyvern just shot down Black Hawk Three!" _Aden turned in his seat and saw a ball of fire falling to the ground that used to be one of the Black Hawk SU-37's. He then looked forward and brought the jet around to try and pick up the wyvern again.

"_This is Praetorian Four, the wyvern is on my tail and I can't shake him, someone help me out!"_

"_Hang on Praetorian Four, I see him." _Aden said and fired a few rounds at the wyvern which broke away from the MiG. Aden was once again on the wyvern's tail and managing to keep him in view. The wyvern then straightened out and opened up the throttle knowing he could easily pull away from Aden. Aden had a lock on him for just a second but he wasn't fast enough and the wyvern slipped away. Aden then switched to a F-22 chasing one of the Praetorian's. Aden got a lock and fired a missile which was a direct hit, the

F-22 burst into flame and what was left fell to the Earth.

"_Thanks." _The Praetorian said and Aden flew off after a Typhoon.

"_Hey, the wyvern's back! He's right behind me, I can't shake him, the sirens are going off like crazy, someone--" _The radio cut out and Aden could see another one of his allies, a Black Hawk, burning wreckage falling to the ground.

"_Alright, from this point on if the wyvern gets a lock on you eject, I don't want to lose any more men up here." _Aden said as he cam behind the wyvern again. He then saw another SU-47 flying after the wyvern.

"_I know you want this guy Flame but he needs to be stopped now, besides there are only a few enemy jets left."_

"_Thanks Cyclone." _Aden and Zach both followed the Wyvern and with there combined skill they managed to trap him. Aden got behind it and opened fire with his 30mm cannon as Zach fired a missile at it. Aden's bullets got the wyvern's engine and Zach's missile finished the job.

"_Good job guys, all enemy aircraft are down, continue to Gainsbrow." _AWACS Specter said.

"_Hey, where is Lone Wolf and the Predator's?" _Leo said not seeing them on radar.

"_They went ahead of you on Lone Wolf's orders."_

"_Damn, come on guys, lets get to Gainsbrow at full speed." _Aden said and the jets all sped off towards Gainsbrow. _"If Lone Wolf got those guys killed I'll shoot him down myself."_


	5. Chapter 4: Gainsbrow

_A/N: The language gets pretty strong at parts in this chapter, just a warning._

_**Chapter 4: Gainsbrow**_

_**July 16, 2018**_

_**Gainsbrow, Clavis**_

_**1627 hrs.**_

"_Alright, Gainsbrow should be visible in three minutes all aircraft be prepared." _Aden said as the twelve aircraft headed towards the engagement zone. AWACS Specter didn't pick up any planes on radar, whether they were friend or foe. Once they passed over the final hill between them and Gainsbrow they saw a sad sight. It looked like the Verusan's used one of those bombs again. The twelve jets sped over the city and scanned the ground.

"_I don't see anything, it's just all gone. Flame, do you see anything in the ruble?"_

"_Nothing Paladin, not a damn thing." _Aden circled back and looked again. It was just unbelievable that they could do something like this. All that was left of building's were their skeletons, houses on the edge of the city were still standing but completely burnt. It looked like they dropped a nuke on the city, everything was completely destroyed. Just then a voice came over the radio…

"_Is there anyone out there?"_

"_This is Scorpion One of the Clavian air force, who is speaking."_

"_Thank god it's not Verusan's. This Tim Polk, I had an old radio that I took with me when I went into hiding, once the Verusan's took over I took my family into an old tornado bunker, I didn't think it would survive that bomb though."_

"_So you are just a civilian?" _Leo said.

"_Yes. I--"_

"_Cut the chatter people, ten enemy fighter's just appeared on radar, coming in from the north." _AWACS Specter said over the radio.

"_Okay, Scorpion and Praetorian squad's, lets go show those damned Verusan's what happens when they mess with us!" _Aden and the other nine jets turned to meet the ten enemy fighters. Once they got close enough Aden saw they were just more typhoon's. Aden sped forward and once locked on he fired a missile and opened fire with his 30mm cannon. The first typhoon was instantly destroyed before he got a chance to fire and Aden swung around to fallow another typhoon. Four of the enemy typhoon's were destroyed in the first attack and now it was nine on six. The praetorian's split into two groups of two and easily downed two enemy typhoon's while Aden and Zach worked together on one. After all ten typhoon's were down they flew back to the remains of Gainsbrow.

"_Wow, you guys made quick work of them."_

"_Gives you a new goal huh Hawk two."_

"_You got that right Hawk One."_

"_Hey, nuggets, don't let your guard down. You are the only three left of your squad so be careful." _Aden said.

"_Hey, this is Tim, you guys should watch out for enemy planes, as I was trying to say earlier the Verusan's hid something deep underground here so they then destroyed the city hoping that all of you guys would leave and they could come and get whatever it was I guess."_

"_Where are you getting all this info, didn't you say you went into hiding when the Verusan's took over?"_

"_I had a friend tell me things, he told me all of this, the last thing I ever heard from him was that they were going to set off the bomb and then… well, you just have to look out of your plane to see what happened."_

"_Alright, we are going to defend this area. AWACS Specter, send a message back to base telling them everything that just happened."_

"_Roger that Flame."_

"_Alright, we'll split into groups of three so we can cover all sides. On the south side I want the Black Hawks, on the east side I want Thunder and Praetorian's three and four, on the west I want Paladin and the other Praetorian's, Cyclone and Bandit, your with me on the north side." _All of the jets went to their designated area's and waited for any enemy plane to show up.

"_Sir, I know there isn't a lot of us but don't you think three is spreading it kind of thin?"_

"_No, I put the nuggets on the south side because there shouldn't be to much action there, no offense, and then east and west side both have an Ace so you guys should be able to handle it and the north side has the three of us, three aces which will probably see most of the Verusan's since they will be coming from their country." _Aden responded.

"_Besides, haven't you heard of the Razgriz that the Yuke's always talk about?" _Leo said, _"They were just four jets."_

"_Yeah, but I thought the Razgriz were just a rumor and there is no actual proof of them."_

"_Hey nugget, when you hear a pilot tell you a story you just have to listen to their voice to tell if it's the truth or not and well, the way they talk about the Razgriz makes me believe it, right Cyclone?"_

"_I would talk of them like that two, those stories tell of fighter pilots who, well, are like demons if you're against them." _Zach said and a chill ran down his spine as he thought of what it must have been like to face them. _"We probably couldn't take them down and the five of us out number them."_

"_Look alive guys, five enemy fighters coming in from the east and west, ten from the north as well as a helicopter squad, probably to retrieve whatever is down there." _AWACS Specter said. Aden, Zach, and Theresa all headed north to meet the enemy. They saw that seven of them where typhoon's and the other three where raptor's, more then likely the more seasoned pilots.

"_Haha, ten on three boys, this will be easy."_

"_Don't get cocky guys, those are the same planes that chased me down at Britasa." _Storm One was back, flying in the lead F-22 Raptor. _"I want a raptor on each of the jets, the rest of you can do whatever."_

"_Looks like the Raptor's are taking us one on one. What are your orders Flame?" _Zack said as they got closer.

"_Well, let's keep it simple. Shot those mother fuckers down and then take out the helicopters." _Aden said as they sped off towards the incoming bogies.

"_Hey, you guys remember me?" _Storm One said over the radio. _"Oh, don't bother changing frequencies."_

"_Ah, good old Storm, did we take you out already?" _Aden said as the jets drew closer.

"_I wasn't armed then, today is different though." _Storm One got a lock on Aden's jet with a QAAM missile. _"Today you will be the one who gets shot down."_

"_I don't think so." _Aden said. His missile warning alarm was blaring but he waited until he had a lock on Storm One. He got a lock and fired a sidewinder then he quickly turned to avoid the missile thinking it was a normal sidewinder. He then noticed it was still trailing him and he went into a nose dive. After a second of that he pulled up and to the right to out maneuver the missile. He barely got away from it but Storm One was in a perfect spot to shot him down so Aden had to think fast. He slowed the jet down and pulled up so it turned the jet around and then he opened it up and sped off. He went under Storm One ho easily followed Aden. Aden kept the throttle open and turned to his left and raised into the air little. _"Come on ass hole, shot me down. I can't make it much easier for you." _He said over the radio.

"_Don't think so jack ass. You can't be doing something as stupid as that unless you have a plan." _Strom One answered.

"_Good guess." _Aden then turned hard left and he could see Storm One for a fraction of a second. Aden then pulled up, waited a brief moment and then went into a dive. He pulled back up after about a second and then turned hard right. Storm One was still on his tail.

"_Hey Flame, you think you could get this SOB of my tail for me." _Theresa said over the radio.

"_Sure, be there in a second Bandit." _Aden spotted Theresa on his radar and turned to the right a little. He could see her, she was tailing a Raptor but she had a typhoon on her tail. Aden saw how well the typhoon was doing and was surprised a little. He figured they would have sent in good pilots but this guy was flying like any other Ace.

"_Hey Flame, I get feeling these guys in the Typhoons were just trying to fool us into thinking they were like the others we shot down." _Zach said.

"_I agree." _Aden said as he got behind the Typhoon following Theresa. He got a lock and fired but the Typhoon out turned it. Aden continued to follow the Typhoon while trying to out maneuver Storm One. _"Damn these fuckers are good." _Aden said as he turned to follow the Typhoon.

"_Yeah, well these aren't are normal jets either. Can someone tell me why we aren't in our SU-37's?" _Zach said over the radio.

"_Because some ass hole decided it was time for them to be taken in for upgrades and repairs and all that shit." _Aden answered.

"_We have to be the only fucking country that takes the planes to a different facility for repairs and upgrades."_

"_No Cyclone, they only took our planes, all others were taken care of at the base."_

"_Think you could explain to me how that works Bandit?"_

"_Remember that bull shit excuse they gave to us."_

"_Oh yeah, I blocked it from my memory."_

"_Alright you two, lets focus on the battle for now." _Aden said as he brought down the typhoon.

"_There are only five enemy planes in your area Flame." _AWACS Specter said.

"_Specter, send the rookies from the south to intercept those helicopters."_

"_Will do Flame." _Specter then relayed the message to the rookies. Aden continued to keep Storm One from shooting him down while the other two took out the last two Typhoons.

"_It's just us and the Raptors now." _Zach said over the radio.

The Helicopter squad made it to the center of the city and the two HH-9B helicopters landed and a the soldiers all got out and started to dig up the ground. There were four Apache's above them.

"_Yo, I don't remember this on the recruitment papers."_

"_Shut up and dig private, they buried something important here."_

"_Yeah, well why are _we _the ones who have to dig it up?"_

"_Because it's our orders soldier."_

"_Hurry up down there guys, we got three SU-37's coming fast."_

The Black Hawks sped towards the enemy helicopter squad.

"_Sweet, this will be easy with just four Apache's to worry about." _Hawk Three said. As they got closer they all fired on a different apache. _"They stand no chance of brining us down." _Hawk three spoke to soon. The four apache's knew they stood no chance so they just fired all missiles out of there missile pods. Missiles were flying every where. Three apache's burst into flame and the crew had jumped out and they fell toward the ground with parachutes hoping they wouldn't get injured. The Black Hawk squad was so surprised by the attack they were almost frozen. Soon Hawk One and Two turned to avoid the missiles, one clipped Hawk One severely damaging his left wing and another missile got Hawk Two causing his engines to shut down. Hawk three on the other hand didn't do anything, he was frozen with fear as the missiles came at him. By the time he woke up and reached for the ejection handle it was to late, a missile slammed into the cockpit, the only good thing was that Hawk three didn't fell a thing when he died.

"_Specter, your going to have to have someone else finish off the enemy here. Me and Hawk two are unable to continue. I have to go back to base."_

"_Roger that, Paladin, head towards the center of the city and sweep up the helicopter squadron."_

"_This is Hawk Two, if that Tim guy is still listening in do you think you guys could come get me, I'm gonna eject soon."_

"_This is Tim, I can see your jet, I'll get a couple of guys together and we'll go get you."_

"_Thanks man." _Hawk Two pulled the ejection handle and the canopy blew off the SU-37 and then he was launched out of the jet which slammed into the earth. Cassandra showed up and took out the other apache and then switched to her FAEB and bombed the guys on the ground which easily destroyed the two H-9B's and killed the ground crew.

"_Specter, I need to know two things. One, how long until the reinforcements get here, and two, how are Flame, Bandit, and Cyclone holding up."_

"_Well, the reinforcements are actually on radar now and as for Flame and the others, I don't know. I received a transmission from Flame just a minute ago saying that they will meet up with you guys back at Berne and then they all flew off of radar with the three bogies tailing them."_

"_WHAT! Why did you say something?!"_

"_Flame ordered me not to tell you. He said that the three of them could handle it and that you and Thunder needed to stay here incase more bogies showed up."_

"_Don't worry Kid, Flame and Cyclone are the two best pilots in Clavis and Bandit is quickly moving up to be number three, they can take care of them selves." _Leo said.

"_This is colonel Keller, I am leading the reinforcements, all aircraft in the area, hang on while we clear a strip of road to use as a runway."_

"_Sir, why don't we just go back to base?" _Leo asked.

"_Because we are going to set up a temporary base here. Don't ask any questions because the generals wouldn't answer when I asked so I don't know."_

"_Alright, well, then I guess we'll wait. I hope Flame and them find out about this place."_

_A/N: Well, the next chapter will be filled with action so look forward to it._


	6. Chapter 5: The Fallen

A/N: For the next few chapters it will alternate between Aden, Zach, and Theresa's eyes and then through Leo and Cassandra's eyes.

**Chapter 5: The Fallen**

_**July 16, 2018**_

_**Gainsbrow, Clavis**_

_**1658 hrs.**_

"_Bandit, Cyclone. We need to get these three away from here, if they manage to break away the nuggets will get annihilated."_

"_I hear that but there is one problem Flame, how the hell do we lure them away?"_

"_Bandit, just do every thing that Cyclone and I do, we have done this before."_

"_Yeah, just stay with us okay."_

"_Roger that you two."_

"_AWACS Specter, send a message to Thunder and the Kid. Tell them that we will meet up with them back at base, but you have to wait until we leave radar, also tell them not to follow us."_

"_Flame what are--"_

"_Don't ask questions just do it!" _Aden said over the radio. He leveled off and he and Zach shot off towards the north with a confused Theresa following. Storm One and the other two hesitated before following them.

"_Storm One, shouldn't we stick to our mission and protect the helicopter squad?"_

"_No, we'll follow them, I'm not going to risk them coming back and taking us out while our guards down."_

"_Roger that sir." _The three raptors then turned to follow.

_**July 16,2018**_

_**North of Gainsbrow**_

_**1709 hrs.**_

Aden, Zach, and Theresa all had their throttles opened up all the way and they were able to leave the main engagement zone before Storm One caught up. Aden and Zach both rolled their jet's so the wings were pointing up and down and the cockpits were on the left side of the jets, Theresa followed suit. With the throttle still fully open Aden and Zach pulled up turning the jet to the left but just for a second, once they saw that Storm One did the same thing they then pushed down and their jet's turned hard right. Theresa was a little off but she was still keeping up. They leveled off their jets and Aden and Zach pulled up while doing a series of barrel rolls confusing Storm One.

"_Do they think they're in an air show or something?" _Storm One said to himself as the three followed them. The barrel rolls were able to confuse the missiles that came at them but if Storm One had fired with his cannon's they could easily have been brought down. Aden and Zach then stopped doing the barrel rolls, closed the throttle completely and pushed down going into a sudden nose dive. Theresa followed them but again was a little behind. Storm One was the only one of the three bogies that managed to stay behind them but the maneuver had surprised him and he hesitated before shooting. Then Aden and Zach both pulled up and that shook off the missile. Theresa followed them but noticed that they had there SU-47's facing straight in the air. She did he same highly confused and then saw the other two raptors coming down towards them. Aden and Zach both fired a missile up at them and one evaded the missile but the other Raptor burst into flames.

"_See you on the ground Flame." _Zach said and ejected from his jet as the burning Raptor slammed into it head on the next second. Theresa wasn't sure what to do so she did what she thought she should, she opened up the throttle and the jet started to gain altitude by Aden let his stall out and start to fall.

"_Flame?" _Theresa said but Aden didn't answer. Storm One was heading for Aden and he had a clear shot, still no reaction from Aden.

"_Come on kid, you just giving up for me?" _Storm One said as he fired a missile at Aden. That was when Aden once again showed signs of life. He opened the throttle and pulled up so his jet was upside down. He then did a few barrel rolls which shook off the missile and stopped so his jet was level again. He then turned the jet around and was going straight for Storm One. Storm One pulled up so the two were going straight at each other, Aden was going down towards the ground while Storm One gained altitude. Storm One locked onto Aden and pulled the trigger to fire a missile, nothing happened.

"_Guess what Storm, your screwed." _Aden said as he fired one of his two remaining missiles at Storm One. He managed to eject in time and he fell towards the ground. _"Bandit, it would be better if you ejected now, meet up with Zach on the ground I'll be there shortly."_

"_But--"_

"_That's an order, bail out." _Aden said and he saw Theresa eject from her jet. Aden then saw the other Raptor shot it and it burst into flames. Aden managed to get behind the Raptor which pulled up to try and shake off Aden. Aden followed him but didn't shot, he only had one missile and he wanted to make sure it connected. The Raptor turned hard left and Aden followed and the Raptor quickly turned to the right hoping this would shake off Aden. Aden lost sight of him for a second but then got right back behind the Raptor. It pulled up and then dived and did it again to keep Aden from getting a clear shot. Aden followed him through this while he thought of a god plan. The raptor turned to the left then and managed to shake off Aden who was lost in thought. Aden turned to try and get behind him again but then he heard the missile warning alarms go off and he immediately pulled up. He then rolled the jet so by looking up he was actually looking down and he saw the Raptor was coming at him from under him. Aden then had and idea, seeing the Raptor was out of missiles he would go straight at Aden Until he could shot him with his cannons. Aden pushed down so the jet was going straight at the Raptor. They continued to fly at each other and then Aden saw the raptor open fire. Aden then ejected and wasn't able to see it but he knew what happened by the following explosion, the Raptor though Aden would have maneuvered away continued flying straight until the jets collided. Aden then started to descend and he then saw the Raptor pilot had bailed out as well.

"_That was good, if we both make it out of this alive maybe could flying together during peace."_

"_Yeah, I doubt it, if you continue to attack us you will eventually be killed. Our country was never aggressive so we had plenty of time to get good at defensive fighting."_

"_What!? Clavis is not aggressive!? Who the hell do you think attacked us then?"_

"_You attacked us remember, you guys bombed Ethantis remember, after that you bombe all military bases on the boarder and you also destroyed Gainsbrow!"_

"_It was all retaliation!"_

"_You expect me to believe that, if Clavis attacked Verusa I would know because my squad would have been on the front line!"_

"_Bull shit! You just don't want to admit that your country attacked us with no reason, they have you brainwashed."_

"_You know what, lets settle this on the ground." _Aden yelled. _'What the hell is he talking about, we attacked them, bull shit.' _Aden landed and Theresa and Zach were waiting for him. Aden stood up and so did the Raptor pilot. They just stood and starred at each other not sure what to do.

"_Storm Two!" _Storm One yelled as he and the other raptor pilot ran up.

"_Yo, Storm One, do you think you could explain what these ass holes did to Verusa?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_They think we attacked them first."_

"_What!?"_

"_That because you did!" _Zach yelled. _"You remember Ethantis?"_

"_Of course I remember, I was the one who bombed it!"_

"_Why?"_

"_It was an order after we were attacked by a Clavian strike force."_

"_We never attacked you!" _Theresa yelled.

"_Bull shit, we were attacked by a massive air and ground squadron, they destroyed the city of Rhio, my hometown!"_

"_There was never a strike force sent to Verusan territory!"_

"_I saw the ruins my self, you ass holes bombed everything, there was nothing left, no building's, no trees, no houses, no people, nothing."_

"_Where is you proof!"_

"_The city is our proof!" _This was the first time the third Raptor pilot said anything.

"_I was never informed of an attack on Verusa, how 'bout you two?" _Aden said turning to Zach and Theresa. This was actually just away for Aden to grab his glock out of the emergency bag that comes with the parachute. He quickly turned around and had the gun pointed at Strom One's head and Theresa and Zach both brought theirs from where they landed and aimed them out the other two pilots.

"_Alright, I think we should take you guys back to base with us, there you can explain your story and what not to the people in charge. Let's go." _Zach said. They now had the first POW's of the war with them.

"_You say your country isn't aggressive and yet they give you a pistol if you bail out."_

"_Like I said, we are very good at defensive fighting, and what better way then giving anyone who bails out a gun for protection, lets go." Aden said and they started to walk back towards Gainsbrow._


	7. Chapter 6: Seperation

**Chapter 6: Seperation**

_**July 16, 2018**_

_**Gainsbrow, Clavis**_

_**1800 hrs.**_

"_Leo, Cassandra, the base commander wants to see you in his office."_

"_Okay, did he say why?" _Leo didn't mean to snap at the soldier but he couldn't help it, he was a little worried about Aden, Zach, and Theresa but he didn't want Cassandra to know that.

"_Uh… he wouldn't tell me sir, I'm sorry…" _The soldier backed up and left the two of them there. They looked at each other and headed towards the commanders tent which was set up in the middle of the base. They got there and Leo looked inside.

"_Sir you asked to se us sir."_

"_Ah yes, come in." _Leo and Cassandra came in and saw that there were eight other soldiers in the tent, plus two generals. _"Well, this is Three Star General Granger," _He signaled to the General on his right, _"He is in charge of the air force, and this is One Star General Johnson," _He signaled to the one on his right, _"He is in charge of the ground troops." _It looked as though the commander was going to introduce himself but just then another man walked into the tent, a colonel.

"_Colonel James Smith sirs," _He said saluting the generals and commander, _"I have been sent here under director orders from the secretary of defense."_

"_What does he want?" _Said the commander.

"_Me and the other men that are outside have been sent to arrest and question three pilots, we need to find Aden Landre, Zachary Gordon, and Theresa Estivone, where are they?"_

"_Why do you need to question them?" _Leo burst out.

"_That is none of your business, now where are they?"_

"_Well, they aren't back yet."_

"_You mean they haven't returned, they must be leaving to join those Verusan pigs, that's why the left the battle field with the Storm squadron."_

"_How do you know all this?" _Cassandra said to him trying to remain calm.

"_We had been listening in on your radios for quite some time, we started listening… Why am I even bothering to tell you, it is none of your business."_

"_But--" _Cassandra started but she was cut off by the colonel.

"_We have evidence that they are Verusan spies who have been feeding the Verusan's information for the past year helping them plan their attack."_

"_Well, as commander of this base, I order you to leave this tent right now as we just about to discuss something rather important, right Generals?"_

"_Yes we where."_

"_There you have it, shoo." _With these words Leo and Cassandra decided they liked this commander and the Generals didn't seem to bad either. _"Well, back to business, Since Aden, Zach, and Theresa aren't with you right now we have assigned three replacement to your team for the time being because we need you to do a mission for us. You will be flying with our number two squadron, Battle Axe." _He signaled to the five pilots by Granger. _"Together you will fly cover for a recon team that is making it's way to Rhio. Our friend Tim informed us that as the men took the city and killed the Mayor the leader said 'This is for Rhio.' We have also brought your air craft back, the SU-37's are in hanger seven, it will stand out as it's the huge tent with a big seven on it. Now, go and see what is up with Rhio."_

"_Yes sir." _Cassandra and Leo turned and went into "hanger" seven and saw the five SU-37's sitting inside. Cassandra and Leo suited up quietly and then climbed into their jets. Leo's jet was silver with two red lines that started from the nose and went past the cockpit and down the top of the jet where they followed the top of the engines. Cassandra's 37 body was black and the wings where a sold blue, the nose of the jet was also painted blue.

"_This is Leo, call-sign Thunder requesting to take off."_

"_Roger that Thunder, take off on runway thirty, three zero, you will be taking the lead for this mission."_

"_Roger that, moving to runway thirty."_

"_This is Cassandra, call-sign Paladin requesting take off."_

"_Paladin you will follow Thunder, once he is clear off the runway you will take off, afterwards the two of you ill circle the base until the rest of your team gets up."_

"_Roger that." _Cassandra followed Leo to runway thirty and once he was airborne Cassandra took off. As they circled the base Cassandra saw they had four makeshift runways, 10, 20, 30, 40. She then saw ground crews that where setting up lookout towers, positioning SAMs and AA guns, and setting up more tents. They circled three times before the whole team was up and then they set out for Rhio. The eight wingmen they where given flew in standard Clavis F-16's which was what most of the air force flew. The leader of Battle Axe had some problems with Leo being chosen to lead this mission but after a while they got him to get over it.

"_Okay, we have just past the Verusan border and are two minutes away from Rhio, Battle Axe, once we are over the city you will cover the ground crew while Scorpion squadron searches the city for enemy troops."_

"_Roger that." _The squad leader of battle Axe didn't sound to happy with his assignment but he followed orders. They reached the ruins of Rhio and Battle Axe circled over the ground crew as Scorpion sped over the city.

"_Why did we bring ground troops, there is clearly nothing to find here." _Cassandra said as they look down at the ruined city. _"It looks just like Gainsbrow and Ethantis but why would Verusa bomb one of there cities with one of those things?"_

"_I don't know Paladin but there is clearly nothing here. Let's get back to Battle Axe and leave." _Leo lead the squad back towards Battle Axe when they saw something no one ever wants to see. Three members of Battle Axe had shot down the other two pilots and had now bombed the entire ground crew. The thing that disturbed Leo the most though was the fact Battle Axe used Napalm bombs on the ground crew so those who may have survived where now on fire burning to death and there was no way to help them. _"Alright, let's shoot those bastards down." _Leo sped straight at the Battle Axe lead plane and opened fire with his 30 mm cannon hitting the engine of the F-16. Leo spun around and was about to finish him when the missile warning alarm went off. He turned as hard as he could to the right and the missile missed him by inches. He then rolled the jet 180 degrees and pulled up again bringing back to the left but he then herd the missile warning alarm again. He rolled the plane another 90 degrees and pulled up so he was going straight down to the ground. He hen rolled over another 180 degrees and pulled up. This not only shook off the missile but it gave him a clear shot at the third F-16 who was right behind one of the replacement members. He fired a missile and saw the enemy jet dodge it and Leo lost him.

"_Thunder, we don't stand a chance against these three, we have to run."_

"_Yeah, okay. Scorpion squadron disengage, drop any extra wait and bug out south." _Leo flipped a switch that dropped his missiles which fell to the earth and blew up when they hit and then he turned south and went full throttle. He could see Cassandra ahead of him and two of the replacements.

"_Let them run, we can finish them later." Battle Axe one said to the rest of his squad. Battle Axe three shot down one of the replacements before disengaging. They turned north and left the engagement zone._


	8. Chapter 7: Reunited

**Chapter 6: Reunited**

_**July 17, 2018**_

_**Gainsbrow, Clavis**_

_**0400 hrs.**_

"_Gainsbrow ground this is Thunder of Scorpion Squadron requesting clearance to land." _Leo was first back to Gainsbrow with Cassandra not to far behind him. The only surviving replacement had been damaged so badly he had to do an emergency landing four miles out of Gainsbrow.

"_Roger that Thunder, you may land on runway three, zero three, welcome back."_

"_Roger that, Paladin will be coming in behind me, her radio isn't working so she will follow me in on runway three."_

"_Okay… Thunder, when you and Paladin land you are to report to the commanders tent, he says it's urgent." _Leo didn't answer but the tower knew he understood. Leo landed smoothly on runway 03 and Cassandra followed. Once Cassandra got out of her jet they walked together towards the commander tent. Once there Leo just walked in and Cassandra followed, they stood shoulder in shoulder and looked at the commander.

"_Ah, I'm glad you are here. Now before I begin you must promise you will not interrupt me, is that understood?"_

"_Is it a promise or an order sir?"_

"_A promise."_

"_Understood." _Leo spoke for Cassandra who was remaining quite.

"_Well, there is good news and bad news. The good news is Aden, Zach, and Theresa showed up a little bit ago, the bad news… well they came with unexpected company." _The commander stopped expecting them to interrupt but when they didn't he continued. _"They brought back the three members of Storm squadron, as you can imagine the man who showed up earlier went insane. To him they handed him a card saying they are spies and want to go to jail for it. Right now they are being questioned and Storm squadron is being held until they can be shipped back to the capital. Well, we had our men question them seeing as how Smith doesn't care what they have to say and according to them Rhio was attacked by us. This we knew and that is why you were sent there for recon, and after what happened with Battle Axe I'm guessing that the Verusian government is trying to hide something, something big. Now, before Aden was taken he gave me a note, and that note said 'What does Thunder have in common with a Paladin? Thunder is always with a storm and a Paladin is always with a leader, both Thunder and a Paladin need to be with something else to have a purpose.' Now no one else has seen or heard of this note so I need you two to follow to instructions in it. Thunder, you stay with Storm squadron, they are in tent four, keep them safe I guess. And Paladin, I don't know hat leader he is talking about as there are many in this camp so I'll let you decide who it is."_

"_I'll stay with you sir, since Aden gave you the note I think you decided you were the leader." _Cassandra's voice was soft and Leo could tell she was thinking about those who had just died.

"_Okay, well that is that… good luck I guess." _The commander said this and Leo turned and left the tent.

_**July 17, 2018**_

_**Gainsbrow, Clavis**_

_**0800 hrs.**_

Aden was sitting in a old wooden chair inside of a darkened tent. There was a table in front of him, a chair behind that, and a single lamp on the table providing the only light in the tent. Aden tried to get up and realized he was cuffed to the chair and decided to wait for someone to come in and interrogate him as he did have much of a choice. After a few minutes Aden heard footsteps and then light shot through an opening in the tent blinding him. He heard some one drop some papers on the table and then sit in the chair across from Aden.

"_So, Major Aden Landre, eighth air division, seventieth tactical fighter squadron, they call you Flame."_

"_I know that but I'm glad you reminded me, I often forget stuff like that."_

"_Sarcasm will not be accepted during this interrogation!"_

"_That wasn't sarcasm, that was just me being an ass hole." _Just then Aden felt something hit his stomach and he realized that another man entered the tent with Smith. Aden couldn't make out his face as his eyes were still adjusting from the lighting.

"_I warned you, now lets begin." _Aden heard Smith going through his papers, _"September 4, 2017 you said 'I hate this f-ing world, all they seem to do is kill innocent people and take money from the poor.' What did you mean by this?"_

"_If you can't figure it out you're a fucking moron."_

"_Alright, lets just move on. Tell me, what made you want to join sides with the Verusan's?" _That made Aden snap, knowing how fragile the chair was he stood up and the chair fell apart. The wood fell out of the cuffs that had healed him to the chair and hit the floor with a loud thud. Aden flipped the cuffs so that the parts now dangling at his side were instead like brass knuckles. He punched the man who had hit him earlier in the jaw knocking him backwards into the canvas of the ten which he fell through. He then turned on Smith who was reaching for the gun under his jacket but Aden got to him before he could get it. He punched Smith in the stomach and then in the head. Smith fell through the entrance of the tent and the other man he brought with him pointed a gun at Aden. Aden knew he had no chance but if he didn't do anything else they would at least let him live. Then there was a gunshot and Aden was covered in blood, the man in front of him fell to the ground and standing behind him was a young soldier. Aden looked at him and then the soldier fired a second shot, Aden turned in time to see the man he punched through the tent fall to the ground. There were now soldiers running towards them from every direction including the base commander and Cassandra.

"_What the hell is going on!?" _The commander screamed as he got to the seen.

"_Ask the kid sir." _Aden said indication to the soldier who killed the two men.

"_Sir…I…I saw those two men with Battle Axe before they left… I saw Battle Axe--" _There was then a gunshot that hit the kid right between the eyes, this was followed with the sound of twenty or more soldiers firing MP-7's at Smith.

"_Well that explains that." _The commander said, _"Alright, Johnson go and get Zach and Theresa out of their tents and bring them to my tent, Aden, Cassandra follow me. Everyone else clean this up and get back to doing whatever it is you should be doing now."_


End file.
